Patrick is a Ugandan Entrepreneur, acclaimed film maker and Ad-man, whose company Xibra, markets mobile platform solutions and provides creative communication services.
He has worked with leading brands like Google, MTN Uganda and South African Tourism Board. Patrick's writing brings a fresh new perspective to Technology, marketing and secrets to success
This blog is inspired by the numerous walks he take to the kiosk (Duuka).

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Last week I
run a PR campaign for KiBO foundation which had partnered with Cisco to provide IT training to five special needs schools within Kampala. The training I
attended was at Mulago School of the deaf.As the
children followed the instructors sign language as he demonstrated how excel
sheet works, I could tell how excited they all were to be using a computer. I
could relate, It is the same enthusiasm
I too had when I was first introduced to a computer in the fourth grade.Looking at
the bigger picture, these children now have a competitive advantage in the
working world because of the skills they now possess. Often people with special
needs are marginalized and reduced to blue collar jobs. However in the 21st
century, a computer is the big equalizer that provides equal opportunities for
all.Some
counties like south Africa have tapped into the potential from this group of
people. Like deaf people are highly sought after to man CCTV cameras because
they are likely to be more attentive than their peers who aren't living with
special needs.While
filming the clip, I stumbled into another class by accident. The children were
chatting each other up in sign language and it was a humbling moment when I
realized that they were just as cheeky, playful and happy as normal children
their age. The sad part however is, because of their condition, they are likely
to have many of their dreams crushed because they do not fit into societies
definition of 'normal' which by all measures is not fair to them and us because
we are denying ourselves potential brilliant ideas.Everyone is
born with the ability to change the world, case in point, Steve Hawkins. We
must let ourselves see beyond the superficial body makeup to truly see each
other for who we really are and technology is playing an important role in
creating equal opportunities.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Earlier this year, Uganda signed the homosexuality
bill into law that made the practice a criminal offense which could lead to
imprisonment of the culprit. To most Ugandans, this was a win against the
minority because as a country despite our cultural and political difference
there is nothing we hate more. Despite warnings of donor cuts, our politicians
convinced us that as a country we need to liberate ourselves from western
influences and to fund our own budget to justify the consequences of signing
the bill into law. Since its signing, a number of suspects of the practice have
been arrested, to the amusement of the rest of the country.

The budget for this
financial year which was read in June has however cast a dark cloud over
the hardworking citizens who now have to pay ridiculous taxes in order for the
government to fix the gaps created by the withdraw of aid that constituted 23%
of the overall budget. On top of this, valuable foreign health partners have
withdrawn their support. Like earlier this year, I was working on a
communication plan for Prepex, a non-surgical circumcision device that was to
be implemented in rural Uganda. And at the last minute, the project was
terminated as a result of the bill. Yet circumcision significantly reduces the
risk of contracting HIV/AIDS.

At this point, it’s
obvious that the people paying heavily for the results of illegalizing homosexuality
is the rest of Uganda which is why I do not support it. Uganda has far more
important issues to deal with like the62%unemployment rate among the youth and
an infant mortality rate which stands at 45 children per 1,000 births.

The real problem our
country has is its politicians looking for cheap popularity among voters. For
the past two years members of parliament have been tabling bills that have no
benefit to the country like the mini skirt bill which gives the public
authority to undress a lady wearing a mini-skirt in public! Which reflects the
kind of people we elected into parliament. While a child in Northern Uganda is
struggling to go school because teachers are on strike over 6 months delayed
payment by government, our representatives are tabling bills that do not tackle
the real issues that people are facing.

But in truth, I blame
my fellow citizens who are easily and just as quickly diverted from the real
issues of national importance as long as they are given an emotional cause to
rally behind which makes Uganda very fertile for propaganda. It is a spin
doctor’s paradise. And given people are struggling to live from one day to the
next because of a politicized economy, its less likely they will ever have the
time to rationalize where the country is heading. And for the record, the
people fighting against the bill have as much to gain from it as the minority
who are funded to promote the agenda. The documentary "God loves Uganda" highlights
this.

The fact is that an
act like homosexuality is wrong at many levels of our society/culture and even
without a bill it’s less likely that the "minority" will ever grow
above 1% and yet the bill affects 95% of the population. It doesn't take a genius
to figure out which side of the argument to support.

I truly believe that
what a man does in the privacy of his home is entirely their business and
should not be the concern of the community or government unless its defilement
or rape, which often goes unpunished yet surprisingly constitutes a high number
of the criminal cases in police records.